Overview

• After a 90-minute meeting, Tetsuo Saito said Sanae Takaichi gave detailed explanations and they found common ground on Yasukuni and policies on foreigners, yet no pact was reached.
• Saito said Komeito would not vote for Takaichi in the upcoming prime ministerial ballot if no coalition agreement is in place, with an extraordinary Diet session to choose a successor convening later this month.
• Komeito is demanding a thorough investigation into the LDP’s political funds scandal and tighter regulations on corporate and organizational donations, positions the LDP approached cautiously in talks.
• Reporting indicates Takaichi’s appointment of Koichi Hagiuda, a lawmaker linked to the funding controversy, has heightened Komeito’s concerns over the money issue.
• Without Komeito, the LDP is 37 seats short of a Lower House majority and 25 short in the Upper House, as internal Komeito voices urge an exit and leaders prepare a second meeting.